Advances in Circulating Nucleic Acids and Serum Proteomics: Synopsis of the 3rd International Conference (The Clinical Chemist‪)‬

The following synopsis of a recent meeting was sent to us by Bret Taback and Dave S.B. Hoon of the Department of Molecular Oncology at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA. We are indebted to them for this account. Dr. Hoon can be reached at hoon@jwci. org. Circulating nucleic acids and serum proteomics offer the potential promise of diagnosis, surveillance, and prognosis of disease through a minimally invasive procedure, namely, collection of blood. Tumor-associated changes in nucleic acids, including loss of heterozygosity (LOH), microsatellite instabilities, mutations, gene promoter hypermethylated sequences, and mRNA transcripts, have been detected in cancer patients' plasma/serum and, more recently, other body fluids. These nucleic acids can be identified in the circulation in "free form", providing a potential surrogate marker of disease. Increased concentrations of DNA/RNA have been demonstrated in a variety of medical conditions, including infectious states, and may have potential clinical utility. Moreover, the detection of fetal DNA/RNA in maternal circulation is providing a noninvasive opportunity to assess fetal characteristics, including sex and Rh status as well as chromosome abnormalities, along with prospects for monitoring complications associated with pregnancy. Serum proteomics, which permits protein profiling, affords a functional assessment of disease that may complement nucleic acid-based assays and identify additional therapeutic targets.